I was able to quote many P.I.H. instances from the discussion thread “Have your say: would you move back to Ireland?” (the comments are no longer visible since the commenting system changed on irishtimes.com), which included: “Homesickness is not a steady state. It’s a dull toothache that comes and goes away.” “So many times alone, and longing for some family and friends. Yes, you make a life, at least you try but you always miss home ” – and so on. The P.I.H. picture hasn’t changed much in the past year: the sentiment is still: “We love it here but Ireland is still home.”

If I was surprised, it was not by the gender bias, but by the fact that it is in the opposite of what I expected. It’s as though GE men more emotional about home than GE women. Obviously, I started to wonder why this should be. Are women more pragmatic than men? Is the “nesting and nurturing” instinct stronger than the “homing” instinct?

There are some other possibilities that come to mind but I think it prudent to go no further with my theorizing. It already has me skating on thin ice, over a deep pool of cold water. I prefer leave this discussion to GE women, and men, as they probably have much clearer insights than I ever could have.

Do you agree with Patrick’s observations on homesickness? Have you experienced it, or noticed a difference between Generation Emigration posts written by men or women? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.